AI-enhanced sonar system proves effective in naval exercise

Lockheed Martin has developed a AI-powered sonar system recently tested aboard an MH-60R helicopter, shown here. (Lockheed Martin)

The AI-powered Lockheed Martin SensorMAX sonar system was found to be effective in detecting and identifying submarines during operations at the ‘Rim of Pacific (RIMPAC)' exercise in July in the Pacific off the coast of Hawaii, company officials confirmed.

“For initial identification, it performed better than expected,” Richard Whitfield, Lockheed Martin, programme principal systems engineer, told Janes on 20 August on a briefing about the programme.

Expectations ran high in advance of ‘RIMPAC', Whitfield acknowledged.

“The first time we experimented against a standard training target, we expected to shave off roughly five minutes on the initial detection phase,” he said.

“It actually ended up shaving off seven and a half minutes to the initial detection phase,” he said. “That's huge. That could be a game changer. Ultimately our [US] Navy (USN) sponsors said let's try it again at ‘RIMPAC' on the real thing.”

Whitfield believes SensorMAX is ready to be deployed for real-world operational antisubmarine (ASW) scenarios now.

US Navy (USN) officials are not discussing immediate plans for new ASW technology. However, the service has been looking to develop and deploy emerging technologies – especially equipment that harnesses AI and machine learning (ML) – more quickly than through traditional processes.

Also, the SensorMAX operations thus far appear to match those supported by Admiral Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations (CNO) in support of what the CNO calls tailored operations and mission-tailored hedge forces to conduct missions like ASW.

SensorMAX a customisable application suite used to interpret undersea energy data, such as acoustic signals collected by sonar buoys, and process it in the same way that language software models analyse and process text.